--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Were I called on to define, very briefly…" description: "\"Were I called on to define, very briefly, the term art, I should call it the Reproduction of what the senses perceive in nature through the veil of the..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/819/edgar-allan-poe-315_art_were-i-called-on-to-define-very-briefly_3181175.jpg" --- # Were I called on to define, very briefly, the term art, I… ![“Were I called on to define, very briefly, the term art, I should call it the Reproduction of what the senses perceive in nature through the veil of the mist” quote by Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/819/edgar-allan-poe-315_art_were-i-called-on-to-define-very-briefly_3181175.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/819/edgar-allan-poe-315_art_were-i-called-on-to-define-very-briefly_3181175.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/819/edgar-allan-poe-315_art_were-i-called-on-to-define-very-briefly_3181175.jpg) > “Were I called on to define, very briefly, the term art, I should call it the Reproduction of what the senses perceive in nature through the veil of the mist” [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Art imitates nature through perception, filtered by imagination and mystery. **In simple terms:** Art mirrors nature, shaped by imagination. Key Takeaway Create art that reflects and transforms perception. Themes creativity perception nature imagination Mood contemplative inspirational Type philosophical creative When to use this quote - painting - writing - music composition - visual design Key Concepts Aesthetics philosophy psychology Questions to Reflect On - How does your perception shape your art? - What veil of mystery enhances meaning? A Different Perspective Risk of over‑idealizing perception. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Mist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mist/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) ## Related quotes > [The reproduction of what the senses perceive in nature through the veil of the soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/the-reproduction-of-what-the-senses-perceive-in-nature-through-the/) [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) > [Were I called on to define, very briefly, the term Art, I should call it 'the reproduction of what the Senses perceive in Nature…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/were-i-called-on-to-define-very-briefly-the-term-art-i-should-call-it/) [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) > [If I were called upon to define briefly the word Art, I should call it the reproduction of what the senses preceive in nature,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-cezanne/if-i-were-called-upon-to-define-briefly-the-word-art-i-should-call-it/) [Paul Cezanne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-cezanne/) > [We perceive nature through the senses, which give us images of forms of colour, sounds etc. A form which exists only in relation to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edouard-vuillard/we-perceive-nature-through-the-senses-which-give-us-images-of-forms/) [Edouard Vuillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edouard-vuillard/) > [“Shall we see the world as we sit, look around relax, look, look, look, disengage our intellects, perceive nature our common sense.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-j-askew/shall-we-see-the-world-as-we-sit-look-around-relax-look-look-look/) R.J.Askew > [You have a history of art-music that you equate with music. That's what I love about that term art-music. It separates itself from music-music,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-fairfield/you-have-a-history-of-art-music-that-you-equate-with-music-that-s/) [Frank Fairfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-fairfield/) > [I've always been very opinionated, for lack of a better term, about art. Not to sound too arrogant, but I guess I'm a connoisseur…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-mchale/i-ve-always-been-very-opinionated-for-lack-of-a-better-term-about-art/) [Joel McHale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-mchale/) > ["Contemporary art" for me is a kind of historical term that describes the 40 years between the Berlin Wall going up and then coming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liam-gillick/contemporary-art-for-me-is-a-kind-of-historical-term-that-describes/) [Liam Gillick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liam-gillick/) > [The use of the term art medium is, to say the least, misleading, for it is the artist that creates a work of art…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-steichen/the-use-of-the-term-art-medium-is-to-say-the-least-misleading-for-it/) [Edward Steichen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-steichen/) > [I never heard the term "art world" until I was in my thirties, and I was like, "What are you guys talking about?" It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-leonard/i-never-heard-the-term-art-world-until-i-was-in-my-thirties-and-i-was/) [Zoe Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-leonard/) > [Surrealism: An archaic term. Formerly an art movement. No longer distinguishable from everyday life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-holland/surrealism-an-archaic-term-formerly-an-art-movement-no-longer/) [Brad Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-holland/) > [“If I know this, I ought to be able to escape the stupider kinds of illusion. The absolute nature of things is independent of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/if-i-know-this-i-ought-to-be-able-to-escape-the-stupider-kinds-of/) [Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/) > [Our senses perceive the way they do because a specific feature of our awareness forces them to do so...because we learn what to perceive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-castaneda/our-senses-perceive-the-way-they-do-because-a-specific-feature-of-our/) [Carlos Castaneda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-castaneda/) > [“continue to grow in the light. Spiritual Senses Our body comprises of different senses that allow us to be in contact with the material…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-mendez-ferrell/continue-to-grow-in-the-light-spiritual-senses-our-body-comprises-of/) [Ana Mendez Ferrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-mendez-ferrell/) > [Our senses perceive no extreme. Too much sound deafens us; too much light dazzles us; too great distance or proximity hinders ourview. Too great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/our-senses-perceive-no-extreme-too-much-sound-deafens-us-too-much/) [Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/) ## More by Edgar Allan Poe > [“From childhood’s hour I have not been As others were—I have not seen As others saw—I could not bring My passions from a common…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/from-childhood-s-hour-i-have-not-been-as-others-were-i-have-not-seen/) [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) > [There is no passion in nature so demoniacally impatient, as that of him who, shuddering upon the edge of a precipice, thus meditates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/there-is-no-passion-in-nature-so-demoniacally-impatient-as-that-of/) [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) > [To vilify a great man is the readiest way in which a little man can himself attain greatness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/to-vilify-a-great-man-is-the-readiest-way-in-which-a-little-man-can/) [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) > [“A skillful literary artist has constructed a tale. If wise, he has not fashioned his thoughts to accommodate his incidents; but having conceived, with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/a-skillful-literary-artist-has-constructed-a-tale-if-wise-he-has-not/) [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) > [“For eyes we have no models in the remotely antique.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/for-eyes-we-have-no-models-in-the-remotely-antique/) [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) > [“During the whole of a dull, dark, and soundless day in the autumn of the year, when the clouds hung oppressively low in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/during-the-whole-of-a-dull-dark-and-soundless-day-in-the-autumn-of/) [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) > [Those who dream by day are cognizant of many things that escape those who dream only at night.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/those-who-dream-by-day-are-cognizant-of-many-things-that-escape-those/) [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) > [“I have said that the sole effect of my somewhat childish experiment—that of looking down within the tarn—had been to deepen the first singular…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/i-have-said-that-the-sole-effect-of-my-somewhat-childish-experiment/) [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) > [And all my days are trances, And all my nightly dreams Are where thy dark eye glances, And where thy footstep gleams-- In what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/and-all-my-days-are-trances-and-all-my-nightly-dreams-are-where-thy/) [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) > [“Other friends have flown before — On the morrow he will leave me, as my hopes have flown before.” Quoth the raven, “Nevermore.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/other-friends-have-flown-before-on-the-morrow-he-will-leave-me-as-my/) [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) > [“To the right and left, as far as the eye could reach, there lay outstretched, like ramparts of the world, lines of horridly black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/to-the-right-and-left-as-far-as-the-eye-could-reach-there-lay/) [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) > [Men die nightly in their beds, wringing the hands of ghostly confessors ... on account of the hideousness of mysteries which will not suffer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/men-die-nightly-in-their-beds-wringing-the-hands-of-ghostly/) [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) > [And the Raven, never flitting, Still is sitting, still is sitting On the pallid bust of Pallas Just above my chamber door; And his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/and-the-raven-never-flitting-still-is-sitting-still-is-sitting-on-the/) [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) > [I was forced to fall back upon the unsatisfactory conclusion, that while, beyond doubt, there are combinations of very simple natural objects which have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/i-was-forced-to-fall-back-upon-the-unsatisfactory-conclusion-that/) [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) > [“For the moon never beams without bringing me dreams Of the beautiful Annabel Lee; And the stars never rise but i feel the bright…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/for-the-moon-never-beams-without-bringing-me-dreams-of-the-beautiful/) [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) [Explore all 615 Edgar Allan Poe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) ## More Art quotes > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/) Taf Teh > [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/) [Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/) > [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [“The only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/) [Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/) > [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/) [Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/) > [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) [Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Were I called on to define, very briefly, the term art, I should call it the Reproduction of what the senses perceive in nature through the veil of the mist", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Edgar Allan Poe" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/were-i-called-on-to-define-very-briefly-the-term-art-i-should-call-it-2/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Art" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/were-i-called-on-to-define-very-briefly-the-term-art-i-should-call-it-2/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/819/edgar-allan-poe-315_art_were-i-called-on-to-define-very-briefly_3181175.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/819/edgar-allan-poe-315_art_were-i-called-on-to-define-very-briefly_3181175.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/819/edgar-allan-poe-315_art_were-i-called-on-to-define-very-briefly_3181175.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Were I called on to define, very briefly, the term art, I should call it the Reproduction of what the senses…” — Edgar Allan Poe", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Edgar Allan Poe", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Were I called on to define,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/were-i-called-on-to-define-very-briefly-the-term-art-i-should-call-it-2/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/were-i-called-on-to-define-very-briefly-the-term-art-i-should-call-it-2/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```